Tie wire for spring assembly and method of making same



SAME

Feb. 18, 194-1. D. 1. LEVINE TIE WIRE FOR SPRING ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF MAKING Original Filed Nov. 2, 1937 3nvcntor wzd [$615726 ZMZ 14/134570 Gttorneg Patented Feb. 18, 1941 v UNITED STATES.

PATENT or ice V In; WIRE FOB'SPRING ASSEMBLY AND DIETHOD OF MAKING SAME David I. Levine, Lynn, Mam, am to m Melen (70., Lynn, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Original application November 2, 1937, Serial No. 172,363, new Patent No. 2,197,131, dated April 16, 1940. Divided and this application January 5, 1939, Serial No, 249,485

7 Claims. (Ci. 140-3) This invention relates to a tie wire and a method of making the same, It deals more especially with a tie wire or tie wire elements adapted for assembling or tying together coil springs into a unitary structure or assembly possessed of the desired integrity and the desired resiliency or spring action. The spring assembly is designed for various purposes, for instance, as

' the resilient filling in mattresses, cushions, and

chair seats or backs, and as the foundation in various structures for sustaining a person comfortably in seated posture and/orat repose.

In the spring assembly comprising the tie wires hereof, there are successive rows of juxtaposed coil springs; and the springsof one row are substantially aligned with the corresponding springs entirety orrbne side of the tie wire and one of the hook portions of the S-configured loop engaging 30 an end convolution of acoil spring andthe other book portion of the S-configured loop engaging an end convolution of a juxtaposed coil spring. Because the hook portions of the S-configured loop can readily be closed or clamped together sufficiently to become for all practical purposes inseparably hooked onto the end convolutions of juxtaposed coil springs, it is hence seen that the the wire of the present invention makes possible a simple and inexpensive spring assembly where- 40 in the springs are hingedly interlocked to one another and are thusmaintained in the desired substantially aligned or undistorted relationship while being freely compressible to afford the de sired resiliency or spring action. 45 With the foregoing and other features and v objects in view, the invention hereof will now be described in further detail with particular reference to the accompanying drawing wherein: Figure 1 is aplan of a corner portion of a spring 50 assembly embodying the tie wires of the present invention.

K Figure 2 is an enlarged detailed section on the line 2-2 'of Figur'el and shows how juxtaposed springs in a row are hingedly interlocked by the 55 tie wires hereof. a

Figure 3 illustrates in perspective a fragment of tie wire hereof, such fragment comprising two S-conflgured loops, each of which protrudes in its entirety on one side of the tie wire.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 depict the successive stages 5 of forming an s-conflgured loop in the tie wire hereof.. I

Figures 7, 8 and 9 illustrate diagrammatically and conventionally the dies or instrumentalities serviceable for creating the wire forms or shapes l0 depicted in Figures 4, 5 and 6, respectively.

The tie wire elements or' units hereof for the spring assembly may be formed readily as. wire is progressively being withdrawn from acoil accumulation or the like. As the wire is thus be--- 15 ing progressively withdrawn as a straight body,

it may undergo at regularly spaced intervals a number of shaping operations designed to develop therein at such intervals s-conflgured loops- 10 each protruding in itsentirety on one side of ml the tie wire from the otherwise straight body H,

as appears best in Figure 3.

The first shaping operation may, as shown in Figure 7, involve passing the wire into a die l2 serving to create therein a loop or U-shaped bend I3, such as is depicted in Figure 4. The second shaping operation mayinvolve upsetting the loop or U-shaped bend it, as by the die 14 indicated in Figure 8, so that the upper portions "a of the loop retain their substantial perpendicularity to the straight wire ll whereas the remainder lab of such loop is bent to a position of substantial perpendicularity to the portions Ila, as depicted in Figure 5. The third shaping operation may involve shaping the loop portions Ila and lib in a multiple die l5, it, such as is shown in'Figure 9, which die serves toetransfor'm such loop portions into the s-conilgured loop II} desired in the tie wire hereof, namely, a loop whose S-configuration is substantially perpendicular with re- 40 lation to the directionality of the wire H, as best appears in-Figs. 3 and 6. It will be appreciated that the successive shaping or dieing operations are performed at successive stages of progress of the wire In as it is progressively being withdrawn from an accumulation and that when the desired number of-s-conflgured'loops have been formed therein at appropriately spaced intervals, it may be cutinto elements or units of a length suitable for tying together all the aligned pairs of juxtaposed springs in the successive rows of a spring assembly.

The spring assembly wherein the tie wire elements hereof are used may assume the particular form illustrated in Figure 1. The assembly there appearing comprises successive spaced rows of juxtaposed compression coil springs 20 and 2|, for instance, of the double-cone type. The assembly may be made by placing thecoilspri'ngs, 5' as ordinarily, on a suitable block or form equipped withpins forholding the springs in the desired relationship as they are being tied together at their end convolutions by the tie wire elements hereof. The tie wire hereof is preferably of such length that it extends from a point X beyond the rows is accomplished by inserting the end convolution 20a of a spring 20 of apair of juxtaposed springs 'into one of the hook portions Ilia of an S-configured loop l0 and by inserting the end convolution 2: of the spring 2| of the same pair into the other of such hook portions lob of the same s-configured loop It. Once the end convolutions of the pairs of juxtaposed springs in the successive rows have been engaged in the successive S-configured loops .IU of a tie wire, it is a "comparatively easy matter for the assemblyman to clamp together, as by pliers, the hook portions Illa and lllb of such loops so that such portions become in efiect inseparably hooked onto the end convolutions, that is, without any tendency" in actual practice for the end convolutions to es- -cape through" the hook portions. Indeed, the

hook portions Illa and "lb of the loop I 0 may be brought together so closely to constitute, in effect, eyes through which the end convolutions of the juxtaposed coil springs are threaded. Since 40 the end convolutions of the juxtaposed coil springs are free to turn or rotate in the closed hook portions 10a and lllb when the spring assembly undergoes local compression, they may be considered as being hingedly interlocked to one another by the tie wires hereof, in consequence of which not only are the springs of the assembly maintained in the desired substantially ,aligned or undistorted relationship but the several springs of the assembly and the assembly as a whole-are freely and substantially noiselessly compressible and hence make for the desired resiliency or spring action in the various structures in which the spring. assembly isused.

, Each side of the spring assembly preferably ineludes the tie wire elements hereof for tying together the end convolutions of juxtaposed springs in the successive rows, although it is r possible to provide the tie wires hereof on only one side of the assembly and to employ other forms of tie elements on the other side of the assembly. v v r If desired, the marginal or outermost portions of the end convolutions of the border springs on either or both sides of the spring-assembly may be flexibly interlocked, 'as by helical wires 22,

which are shown in Figure 1 as encompassing the marginal' portions of the end convolutions of the border springs.

eive in'the spring assembly as rims or border elements tending to resist dislodgment or mis'-,

lignment of'the substantially aligned springs in I the successive rows,'especially when the assembly meets with blow or impact on the intermediate convolutions of its border springs. 75 An importantd'eature of the spring assembly The helical wires 22 thus is that the juxtaposed coil springs of adjacent rows are so tied together by the tie wires hereof that while free compression of the springs readily takes place and they are free to turn to a considerable extent at their end convolutions under 5 compressing and distorting forces, nevertheless, such compression and turning movements are not accompanied by tendency for the springs to separate or loosen from one another, since the endconvolution of one spring is firmly locked in place 10 by the crimped hook portion Illa of a tie wire and the end-convolution of a juxtaposed spring is firmly locked in place by the,crimped hook portion Illb of the same S-conflgured loop, indicated generally at It, in the tie wire. It can be said, 15 therefore that the springs of the assembly are hingedly interlocked by the tie wires hereof Lfto one another for free compression and relative turning movement at their end-convolutlons while at the same time having notendency to 20 separate from one another during such compression and turning movement.

It is to be understood that the spring assembly and the tie wires hereof specifically described and illustrated are subject to variation and modiflca- 25 tion falling within the inventive'principles hereof and, accordingly, that the protection to be afforded for the invention hereof should be ascertained from the appended claims whose terms should be construed as broadly as the prior art permits.

So far as concerns subject matter, this application is a division ofmy application Serial No. 172,363, filed November 2, 1937, now Patent 2,197,131, dated April 16, 1940, wherein I have claimed as part of a spring assembly or combination the tie wire element hereof.

I claim:

1. A tie wireadap'ted for spring assembly purpose comprising substantially S-conflgured loops each protruding in its entirety on one side of said tie wire at "spaced regions thereof, the configuration of said loops being substantially perpendicular with relation to the,directionality of said tie wire.

2. A tie wire adapted for spring assembly purpose comprising substantially S-configured loops each protrudingfin its entirety on one side of said tie wire at substantially regularly spaced 50 regions thereof, the S-conflguration of said loops being substantially perpendicular with relation to the directionality of said tie wire.

3. A tie wire adapted for spring assembly purpose comprising substantially s-configured loops 55 each protruding in its entirety onone side of said tire wire at spaced regions thereof but said tie wire otherwise being substantially straight,

' the S-configuration -ofsaid loops being substantially perpendicular with relation to the direc- 60 tionality of -said tie wire.

4. A tie wire adapted for spring assembly purpose comprising substantially S-conflgured loops each protruding inits entirety on one side of said he wire at substantially regularly spaced -5 regions thereof but said tie wire otherwise being substantially straight, the s-conflguration of said loops being substantially perpendicular with'relation to the directionality of said tiewire.

5. A method of making a tie wire adapted for.

spring assembly purpose andcomprising substantially S-configured loops protruding at spaced regions thereof. which comprises subjectingwire at spaced regions thereof as'it is being prog'res sively withdrawn from an accumulation too. I

number of successive shaping operations, including the shaping of each of such regions into a substantially U-shaped loop and the reshaping tially s-conflgured loops protruding at spaced regions thereof, which comprises subjecting wire at spaced regions thereof as it is being progressively withdrawn as a straight body from an accumulation to a number or successive shaping operations, including the shaping of each of such regions into a substantially U-shaped loop, the upsetting of said loop so that its portions next to the straight wire body retain their substantial perpendicuiarity to the straight wire body whereas the remainer of said loop is bent to a position or substantiai'perpendicularity to said portions, and the reshaping oi said upset loop to S-con- A figuration,

7. A method of making a tie wire adapted for spring assembly purpose and comprising substantially S- configured loops protruding at spaced regions thereof, which comprises subjecting substantially straight wire at spaced regions thereof to successive shaping operations, including the shaping oi each of such regions into a substantially U-shaped loop and a reshaping of said loop to S-onfiguration. v

DAVID I. LEVINE. 

